Stealth Skills Explanation
Hacking Hacking a computer or door or robot can be exceptionally useful both in and out of combat. The hacking skill determines a player’s ability to do such things. This can entail hacking a turret to shut it down or even change its FoF tag to make it a friendly ally in the heat of combat. While hacking is useful during combat it does take time and leaves the player vulnerable to attack while the hack is being performed. * Hacking takes time depending on the difficulty of the computer. With every ten ranks of difficulty on the computer, the hack will require an additional round to open up to a total of ten rounds assuming the hacking skill checks do not fail. * Hacking a computer works like most other skill checks. The skill check of the player is made against the difficulty of the computer. * Some systems will have specific circumstances such as needing to be hacked multiple times or initiating a lockdown if the check fails. * Certain computers, such as automated turrets and defensive systems, will always require multiple skill checks in order to unlock due to their complexity and the way they function. * Hacking a computer generates no noise beyond melee range so hacking is a safe skill to use when stealthed and does not bring the player out of stealth. * Hacking during combat confers all attacks against the player to be instantly successful, meaning a player will need protection while making the skill checks. A player may, however, use a one-handed weapon to defend themselves while making these checks. Lock-picking Picking locks is an archaic but useful skill for thieves that need to break into a vault or open a door quietly. This ability is also useful for commandos that need to enter a room quietly or for snipers that need to enter a room in order to find a vantage point. Picking a lock often opens the opportunity for drastically changed gameplay and can unlock hidden loot or potentially hidden dangers. * Lock-picking takes time depending on the difficulty of the lock. With every ten ranks of difficulty on the lock, the lock will require an additional round to open up to a total of ten rounds assuming the lock-picking skill checks do not fail. * Picking a lock works like most other skill checks. The skill check of the player is made against the difficulty of the lock. * Some locks will have specific circumstances such as needing to be picked multiple times or initiating a lockdown if the check fails. * Certain locks, such as safes and combination locks, will always require multiple skill checks in order to unlock due to their complexity and the way they function. * Picking a lock generates no noise beyond melee range so lock-picking is a safe skill to use when stealthed and does not bring the player out of stealth. * Picking a lock during combat confers all attacks against the player to be instantly successful, meaning a player will need protection while making the skill checks. A player may, however, use a one-handed weapon to defend themselves while making these checks. Subterfuge Subterfuge is the art of deception and preventing a unit from seeing what is truly happening. It can also be referred to as ‘sleight of hand’. This skill includes attacking while unseen for critical damage, creating disguises to use against units nearby, concealing weaponry and abilities, picking pockets of unsuspecting persons and forging documents or copying them. * Subterfuge may be used to make a disguise which allows the character to be detected while remaining unknown of their true origins by making a roll against the target’s perception. This roll continues against every new character that the player meets while characters hostile to the faction the character is disguised as (such as an Alliance soldier seeing a player disguised as a Wehrmacht soldier) will automatically be hostile towards them unless previously informed of the deception. * When a character has a stealth advantage, subterfuge may be used to confer additional damage with a second roll against the target’s perception. For every ten levels in subterfuge a player causes an additional ten percent damage; meaning that for at maximum level the attack damage is doubled. These attacks also ignore armor aside from power armor. * A player may roll subterfuge to pick a character’s pockets. In this case roll subterfuge against the target character’s perception and against any character’s perceptions that can see the player while this occurs. * Weapons that can feasibly be concealed, such as pistols and knives, may be hidden from unwanted notice with subterfuge. To do so, roll subterfuge against perception. Certain enemies who are looking for weapons may make this more challenging. * Documents may be forged or copied with subterfuge. The level of challenge for this task is set to the DM’s discretion, the campaign book or based upon the type of document and its contents as will be outlined later in this book. Sneak Sneak The Sneak skill allows players to sneak past enemies and remain undetected or deal bonus damage in stealth attacks. Stealth attacks are exceptionally useful against heavily armored enemies that might otherwise be difficult to defeat. However enemies in power armor are well guarded against stealth attacks since their armor may completely absorb the damage of an attack while enemies in lower classes of armor are often easily defeated. * Sneak does not work if any unit has a direct line of sight on the character in question provided that character does not have some sort of visual cloak, concealment or camouflage * Sneak checks encompass all areas of detection including sound, sight, scent and any other potential detection methods a species may have. * If a character is detected they must break line of sight to attempt to sneak again and must break line of sight for at least one full round * Characters in stealth do not take penalties to being flanked so long as they have cover from at least one enemy flanking them * Characters that are completely surrounded take full penalties to stealth (-50 skill check) * Characters that are physically touched are automatically disengaged from stealth * Stealth attacks (sneak attacks, back stabs, etc) deal doubled damage which stacks with critical hits and headshots.